COMMUNICATIONS METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO PATITIONED TRAFFIC SEGMENTS

• US 20100118793A1
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampath, Ashwin, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi, Horn, Gavin
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to partitioning traffic segments are described. An access router, having concurrent connections with two access terminals and desiring to transmit traffic signals to the two access terminals in the same traffic segment, partitions a traffic segment. The partition is such that a first portion of the traffic segment is allocated to a first access terminal and a second portion of the traffic segment is allocated to the second access terminal. Control information, e.g., identifying partition portion assignments, data rate and/or coding information, is also communicated in the traffic segment as in-band control signaling. An access terminal, to which some of traffic signals are directed, receives and recovers the in-band control signaling, identifying its allocated partition portion of the traffic segment and identifying data rate and/or coding information used. The access terminal receives the traffic segment signals in its allocated partition portion and recovers the traffic information.

Claims

1. A method of operating an access router, the method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of transmission request responses from a plurality of access terminals, at least one of said first plurality of transmission request responses corresponding to a first traffic segment; and

transmitting a first set of traffic data to a set of access terminals in said first traffic segment, said set of access terminals being included in said plurality of access terminals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting segment partitioning information in said first traffic segment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said segment partitioning information indicates at least one portion and a corresponding portion size of said first traffic segment for one of said set of access terminals.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting traffic data rate information for each of a plurality of different portions of the first traffic segment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting in said first traffic segment connection identifiers indicating individual connections to which different portions of the first traffic segment correspond.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a first set of traffic data includes transmitting to a first access terminal of said set of access terminals at a first transmission power level and transmitting to a second access terminal of said set of access terminals at a second transmission power level, which is different from said first transmission power level.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting transmission requests, corresponding to said first traffic segment, to a group of access terminals, said plurality of access terminals being access terminals included in said group of access terminals.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting transmission requests, corresponding to a second traffic segment, to a group of access terminals; and

transmitting a second set of traffic data to at least one of said group of access terminals in said second traffic segment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said second set of traffic data is transmitted in said second traffic segment without segment partitioning information and without rate information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second traffic segments are of the same size.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a transmission request response, corresponding to the second traffic segment, from one of said group of access terminals.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a second plurality of transmission request responses, corresponding to the second traffic segment, from at least two of said group of access terminals; and

determining to transmit traffic data to only one of said group of access terminals from which a transmission request response was received.

13. An access router comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a first plurality of transmission request responses from a plurality of access terminals, at least one of said first plurality of transmission request responses corresponding to a first traffic segment; and

transmit a first set of traffic data to a set of access terminals in said first traffic segment, said set of access terminals being included in said plurality of access terminals; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

14. The access router of claim 13, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to transmit segment partitioning information in said first traffic segment.

15. The access router of claim 14, wherein said segment partitioning information indicates at least one portion and a corresponding portion size of said first traffic segment for one of said set of access terminals.

16. The access router of claim 15, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to transmit traffic data rate information for each of a plurality of different portions of the first traffic segment.

17. An access router comprising:

means for receiving a first plurality of transmission request responses from a plurality of access terminals, at least one of said first plurality of transmission request responses corresponding to a first traffic segment; and

means for transmitting a first set of traffic data to a set of access terminals in said first traffic segment, said set of access terminals being included in said plurality of access terminals.

18. The access router of claim 17, further comprising:

means for transmitting segment partitioning information in said first traffic segment.

19. The access router of claim 18, wherein said segment partitioning information indicates at least one portion and a corresponding portion size of said first traffic segment for one of said set of access terminals.

20. The access router of claim 19, further comprising:

means for transmitting traffic data rate information for each of a plurality of different portions of the first traffic segment.

21. The access router of claim 20, further comprising:

means for transmitting in said first traffic segment connection identifiers indicating individual connections to which different portions of the first traffic segment correspond.

22. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a first plurality of transmission request responses from a plurality of access terminals, said first plurality of transmission request responses corresponding to a first traffic segment; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit a first set of traffic data to a set of access terminals in said first traffic segment, said set of access terminals being included in said plurality of access terminals.

23. A method of operating a first access terminal, the method comprising:

receiving first traffic segment signals in a first traffic segment from an access router;

recovering from the first traffic segment signals partitioning information; and

at least based on the recovered partitioning information, determining a portion of the first traffic segment signals which includes traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

recovering data rate information from the first traffic segment signals, the data rate information indicating a data rate used for the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

recovering coding information from the first traffic segment signals, the coding information indicating a type of coding used to code traffic data included in the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first traffic segment signals further include data rate and coding information corresponding to a second access terminal.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

performing, a traffic data recovery operation using the recovered data rate and recovered coding information to recover traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal from the first traffic segment signals.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

transmitting a first transmission request response corresponding to the first traffic segment to said access router.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

transmitting a second transmission request response to the access router, the second transmission request response corresponding to a second traffic segment;

receiving second traffic segment signals, said second traffic segment being a non-partitioned segment; and

recovering traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal communicated in the second traffic segment, said second traffic segment being used to communicate information to the first access terminal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first and second traffic segments are of the same size.

31. A first access terminal comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive first traffic segment signals in a first traffic segment from an access router;

recover from the first traffic segment signals partitioning information; and

at least based on the recovered partitioning information, determine a portion of the first traffic segment signals which includes traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

32. The first access terminal of claim 31, wherein said at least one processor is further configure to recover data rate information from the first traffic segment signals, the data rate information indicating a data rate used for the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

33. The first access terminal of claim 32, wherein said at least one processor is further configure to recover coding information from the first traffic segment signals, the coding information indicating a type of coding used to code traffic data included in the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

34. The first access terminal of claim 33, wherein the first traffic segment signals further include data rate and coding information corresponding to a second access terminal.

35. A first access terminal comprising:

means for receiving first traffic segment signals in a first traffic segment from an access router;

means for recovering from the first traffic segment signals partitioning information; and

means for determining, at least based on the recovered partitioning information, a portion of the first traffic segment signals which includes traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal.

36. The first access terminal of claim 35, further comprising:

means for recovering data rate information from the first traffic segment signals, the data rate information indicating a data rate used for the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

37. The first access terminal of claim 36, further comprising:

means for recovering coding information from the first traffic segment signals, the coding information indicating a type of coding used to code traffic data included in the portion of the first traffic segment signals.

38. The first access terminal of claim 37, wherein the first traffic segment signals further include data rate and coding information corresponding to a second access terminal.

39. The first access terminal of claim 37, further comprising:

means for performing, a traffic data recovery operation using the recovered data rate and recovered coding information to recover traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal from the first traffic segment signals.

40. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium comprising

code for causing at least one computer to receive first traffic segment signals in a first traffic segment from an access router;

code for causing the at least one computer to recover from the first traffic segment signals partitioning information; and

code for causing the at least one computer to determine, at least based on the recovered partitioning information, a portion of the first traffic segment signals which includes traffic data corresponding to the first access terminal.